Tag Archives: Greg Nicotero

Robert Kirkman’s ‘Cribs’ and A Preview of The Walking Dead Season 4

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Thankfully Robert Kirkman isn’t reviving MTV’s gaudy television show Cribs. The Walking Dead‘s creator only borrows the program’s cheesy format for his recent behind-the-scenes video from AMC’s weekly Dead Alert newsletter. Instead of visiting someone’s extravagant mansion like Cribs does, Kirkman takes you for a stroll around his Walking Dead Season 4 prison set.

This season picks up several months after Season 3. Kirkman shows us what the prison dwellers constructed to make this inhospitable space more homey. Kirkman’s jokes are terrible, but his tour is still exciting for two reasons. First, it piques your curiosity about how the characters will use these new tools in The Walking Dead Season 4. Second, if you’re into Kirkman’s comics, it suddenly makes a two-dimensional world become three-dimensional. The prison grounds that you imagined while reading the comics, become a tangible place that you can visually explore, which gives the story fresh depth and believability.

FYI: Ditching plausibility for a minute, my favorite part of this video is the arsenal of zombie-killing weapons that Kirkman displays. What’s yours?

AMC released via Dead Alert released another video to drum up fan fervor about the upcoming season. From a preview perspective, ‘A Look at Season 4: The Walking Dead,’ doesn’t offer much footage you haven’t already seen in other Season 4 trailers and promos. However, the show’s producers throw you a bone by dropping hints about what’s to come for your favorite characters.

The most insightful morsel comes from producer, occasional director, and special effects guru Greg Nicotero, “What would you be willing to do? And can you come back from the things you’ve done to survive?” These questions cut straight to the core of what makes the show and the comics so addictive. The true thrill isn’t seeing zombies maul people. It’s observing how people struggle to remain human in a world where inhuman choices are required for survival. That’s why I’m captivated by the show and the comics. What about it captivates you? And more importantly, do you think showrunner Scott Gimple is right when he says, “There might not be any hope?”

Click here and share your thoughts.

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Gale Anne Hurd

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Gale Anne Hurd

Photo by Gene Page Copyright TWD Productions LLC. All rights reserved

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, which has been partly due to my busy schedule and partly because of the slowdown in Walking Dead news. To give you something new, I thought I’d share my quick thoughts AMC’s interview with Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer of The Walking Dead. The piece comes from this week’s Dead Alert newsletter and gives you a tiny glimpse behind the scenes of Season 4.

I think it’s pretty funny that they do a zombie school every season. That’s an educational institution that I’d love to attend. I’d be super nervous auditioning for a special effects guru like Greg Nicotero though. I also like the bit that Hurd reveals about the zombies being more ravenous in Season 4. I’d imagine food supplies are starting to dwindle with more and more humans joining the ranks of the undead. Less food creates problems for living people too, and forces them to get creative about what they use for food. Anyone who’s read The Walking Dead comics, will know what I’m talking about.

From the interview with Gale Anne Hurd, it sounds like they deal with some nasty weather on set with terrible extremes. It’s crazy to think that a tree falling down could halt production in an area. I’m sure those hot sticky Southern days are a bear too.  I think she has a smart philosophy about keeping people well-fed to make sure they stay happy. I know it would be a lot easier dealing with all the elements knowing that I could have gourmet mac and cheese at lunch.

My favorite questions during the interview with Gale Anne Hurd are the last two. She gained a lot of respect in my book after sharing her mantra: Good enough, isn’t. As a meticulous person myself, I appreciate people who like to do things right and care a lot about doing careful, quality work. And then the final question about which character on the show would make a good producer was fun. I would agree with her that Rick and Daryl have the right personality traits.

Which character from The Walking Dead do you think would make the best producer?